Atlas Twp. – After the rain, the mosquitos want to share Nancy Klumpp’s growing space.
Nonetheless, she’s snapping off rhubarb to make her popular cake. The luminous ruby stalks grow in abundance in her garden, as they do in many Michigan yards, thriving in the cooler climate.
‘It lasts about a month, and starts to die down and get tough, depending on how hot it is,? says Klumpp.
‘You want it a little bit cooler. If you don’t have the rain, it dies down really fast.?
When the Klumpps moved into their Atlas Township home 13 years ago, the rhubarb was there.
Nancy’s been giving rhubarb away and trying to find recipes ever since, honing a crumb-topped cake recipe to perfection. It’s something she’ll make by the pansful for her son Andy’s open house next week.
‘You would not believe the teenagers that absolutely love it,? she said, smiling.
Rhubarb has been around for centuries, coming to America in the late 1700s.
According to a July 2001 article in Michigan History magazine, the abundance of hothouse-grown rhubarb put Michigan on the map. In 1953, Utica, Mich. was considered the ‘Rhubarb Center of the World?.
While rhubarb seems a retro vegetable that people vaguely remember their great-grandmother having, it seems to be making a local comeback.
Both T & Z Farms in Atlas Township and Wojo’s Greenhouse in Brandon Township had rhubarb roots for sale this spring, but both are sold out for the season.
For those who can’t find the vegetable in their own yards, fresh rhubarb is available at Zach’s Farmer’s Market, near M-15 and Horton Road, where recipe swapping is encouraged.

Nancy Klumpp’s rhubarb cake
3/4 cup margarine
1 egg
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups diced rhubarb
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon margarine
Cream first three cake ingredients, gradually adding next five items. Mix topping ingredients and crumble on top of batter in greased clear class 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 335 degrees for 45 minutes or longer, depending on rhubarb texture. Underside of cake should be browned and top should be set in center when jiggled.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cold with vanilla or plain Cool Whip, says Nancy.
Rhubarb muffins
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped rhubarb
Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and sugar.
In another bowl, beat the egg, stir in butter, buttermilk and vanilla.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the egg mixture all at once. Stir until just blended; stir in rhubarb.Spoon into paper-lined muffin tins.
Combine sugar, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle a spoonful of topping over each muffin.Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Rhubarb-strawberry Pie
2 9-inch pie crusts, with half-inch excess over pan
4 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 beaten egg
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine rhubarb strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon; place in crust.
Cut extra rolled pastry into one-inch strips, crossing to make lattice top. Trim even with pie plate, and fold over excess bottom crust, sealing and fluting eggs. Brush with egg.
Bake in glass pie plate on baking sheet or foil for 15 minutes, until crust begins browning. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until crust is golden, rhubarb is tender, and filling is thickened.

Rhubarb crunch
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup flour
3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups chopped rhubarb
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium bowl combine melted butter, flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mix until crumbly. Press half of the mixture into an 8 or 9-inch glass pan. Arrange rhubarb over top of the crumb mixture.
In a small saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the boiling water. Cook and stir until thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour syrup evenly over the rhubarb.
Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over top. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, until topping is golden and the rhubarb is tender. Serve warm.

Chocolate chip rhubarb cake

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk or sour cream
1 3/4 cup chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Topping:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar

Cream together brown sugar and shortening. Add egg and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt together. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition. Stir in rhubarb and chocolate chips.
Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch glass pan. Combine topping ingredients.Sprinkle over the cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Frozen rhubarb daquiris

6 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 2-liter bottle lemon-lime soda
1 12-oz. can limeaid concentrate
1 to 1-1/2 cups white rum
Combine rhubarb and water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in sugar and heat until sugar is dissolved and rhubarb is soft. Remove from heat and strain. Let the liquid come to room temperature. Combine remaining ingredients, add rhubarb juice, and freeze. Stir occasionally while mixture freezes. To serve, spoon frozen daiquiris into glasses and top with mint sprig.

(box) Rhubarb rhetoric

Did you know?

*rhubarb can clean stained pots by boiling the rhubarb in the pot
*rhubarb’s nickname is the pie plant
*historically, rhubarb was sometimes used for medicinal purposes
*rhubarb leaves and roots are poisonous; toxins can leach into the stalks of rhubarb frozen in the ground
*in the 1700s and 1800s, Qianlong and Daoguang emperors forbade export of tea and rhubarb from China to Russians, Westerners and ‘barbarians?
*rhubarb is a low-calorie source of calcium and potassium
*in northern Europe, rhubarb was cooked as a vegetable in omelets, soups, meat stews, and drinks
*choose field-grown rhubarb for its tart flavor and red color; choose hothouse rhubarb for its mild, stringless qualities
*rhubarb with leaves that are smaller than previous years should be divided, so share it with a friend